Your curtains could be hiding allergens and even pests — here's how to clean them

A woman with hay fever wipes stuffy nose in bed — (Image credit: Getty Images)

It's that time of year again, when the sun starts to shine and the flowers start to bloom. Unfortunately, it's also the time when hay fever returns, affecting those who suffer from it — myself included.

Pollen is a tricky thing to spot and it only takes a little to trigger symptoms like itchy, sore eyes and sneezing. Since it comes from flowering plants, you'd think that being inside would make it better. Unfortunately, pollen is pretty clever at getting inside your home, as are other allergens, including pests.

Here's what could be hiding in your curtains

Man opening curtains — (Image credit: Getty)

Hanging curtains in your home helps with insulation during the colder months, and blocking out light in the warmer ones. But as they hang there, they also begin to gather dust and particles brought in from outside.

For allergy sufferers, there's risk of pet dander, dust mites, mould spores, and — during the sunnier months — pollen. As well as triggering unwanted symptoms, this can also affect the indoor air quality in your home. So, targeting them is key.

When it comes to pollen and hay fever in particular, we have our windows open a lot more when it's hot outside and, as such, curtains become a great hiding place for pollen to settle.

How to clean them

A garment steamer being used to clean curtains — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

To give your curtains a good clean and rid them of allergens, there's a variety of different methods including vacuuming, washing (by machine or hand), and steam cleaning. It depends on what material your curtains are made out of as to which method of cleaning will work best for you.

Fortunately, while hay fever is at its worst in the hotter seasons, it's also a perfect time to complete this important task.

As mentioned, you'll need to determine what type of material your curtains are — not all of them will go in your washing machine.

A hand holding a mattress pad that's being placed in the washing machine — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Many curtains are not washing machine-friendly, so they will be best cleaned with a damp cloth or a steamer. Handheld steamers are also a great way to spruce them up whilst they are still hanging on the rod in between your spring/summer airings.

Fortunately, you can check the care label for instructions on whether they can survive the washing machine.

If your curtains are machine washable, you should be careful to run them through on a delicate cycle with cold water and a mild detergent. It's recommended to do this every few months, but you might want to do it more over the summer.

The quickest way to clean your curtains though is by vacuuming them. Using the soft brush attachment, you'll be able to work along the curtains on both sides from top to bottom to remove any dust and pollen hiding in them.

Another great way to rid your curtains of pollen is by steam cleaning them. To do this at home, you'll need a hand-held steamer.

Using the upholstery attachment, gently move the steamer up and down the fabric slowly, holding it a few inches away and not in direct contact.

This is the perfect method if you don't want to take your curtains down off their railing. But it's important to note, that steaming lifts the dirt and debris from your curtains, so you'll want to vacuum underneath afterward to make sure you've removed all the hard-to-spot pollen and dust from your home.

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Grace is a freelance journalist working across homes, lifestyle, gaming and entertainment. You'll find her writing for Tom's Guide, TechRadar, Space.com, and other sites. If she's not rearranging her furniture, decluttering her home, or relaxing in front of the latest streaming series, she'll be typing fervently about any of her much-loved hobbies and interests. To aid her writing, she loves to head down internet rabbit holes for an unprecedented amount of time.

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